A new wide band gap thermoelectric quaternary selenide Cu2MgSnSe4

Cu2MgSnSe4 based compounds composed of high earth abundant elements have been identified to exhibit good thermoelectric performance in the mid-temperature range. The pristine phase shows a band gap of 1.7 eV, which is slightly higher than similar ternary and quaternary copper based stannite compounds. Cu2MgSnSe4 crystallizes in the tetragonal I4¯2m space group. Substitution of In at Sn site tends to decrease the tetragonal distortion toward the cubic symmetry. The electrical and thermal transport properties of Cu and In-doped Cu2MgSnSe4 in the temperature range of 300 K-700 K are studied. The substitution of In3+ for Sn4+ and Cu2+ for Mg2+ induces charge carriers as holes, which in turn lead to improvement in thermoelectric efficiency. The role of mass fluctuations and structural disorder in the evolution of the thermal conductivity of the doped selenides is discussed. A maximum ZT of 0.42 is attained for Cu2MgSn0.925In0.075Se4 around 700 K, and this value is comparable to that of Cu2ZnSnSe4. © 2015 AIP Publishing LLC